No more white farmers Zimbabwe government vows

The Zimbabwe government on January 21, 2015 vowed to grab all farms owned by the remaining white former commercial farmers and ruled out joint ventures involving whites.

Addressing chiefs during the handover of A2 (small-scale commercial farm) offer letters to traditional leaders in Mashonaland East province yesterday, Provincial Affairs minister Joel Biggie Matiza said government’s new land policy was set to benefit diplomats, chiefs, war veterans, civil servants and others who missed out at the launch of the land reform programme in 2000 because of rampant corruption.

Speaking at the same occasion, Lands and Rural Resettlement minister Douglas Mombeshora also said government would not allow contract farming arrangements where the indigenous farm owners would get only 10% of total produce while their white partners grabbed the lion’s share.

“Contractors will come, but they are not owners of the land,” Mombeshora said.

“That you say I have contract farming to get 10%, we won’t allow that. Joint ventures with white former commercial farmers, we say no to that. We have never allowed that.”

He said white former farmers should be given 90 days to vacate their farms if the land has been allocated to a black person to avoid legal battles.

Mombeshora said joint ventures were done at national level and should come through his ministry…

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photo credit: damien_farrell via photopin cc

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